Trader Joe's Shoppers Reporting Widespread Egg Shortages: What to Know
With Thanksgiving now just a little over a week away and Christmas coming up fast, we've now officially entered the prime holiday cooking and baking season of 2024. But in the lead-up to these popular food-heavy festivities, Trader Joe's shoppers are noticing widespread shortages of a staple ingredient.
Eggs are currently in short supply or completely absent from a significant number of Trader Joe's stores across the United States, according to customers. One shopper took to Reddit this week to report that there were absolutely no eggs at a Chicago-area Trader Joe's location. And in the section that was supposed to be stocked with eggs, the shopper spotted a sign that read:
"Where are the eggs? We're transitioning to cage-free only, which may temporarily reduce our supply. Thank you for your patience!"
The Chicago Trader Joe's store is far from the only one where eggs have disappeared recently. The Reddit post has already received over 200 comments, many from other shoppers who reported that there were few eggs or none whatsoever at stores in a variety of markets across the country.
"None at my TJ's either! I'm in Oregon! Ugh such a shame," one Redditor wrote.
"I actually went to Trader Joe's tonight and they had the same sign up. I'm in Pennsylvania," another commented. Trader Joe's locations in Virginia, Colorado, and Arizona are among the others to be impacted by the egg shortfall, according to the reports.
While the switch to cage-free eggs (a change Trader Joe's employees claim impacts all stores) may be the cause of some of these supply issues, shoppers have also spotted signs at some locations blaming them on a national egg shortage. For context, avian influenza has sickened over 100 million birds since 2022, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This has not only resulted in fewer eggs, but has also led to higher prices at grocery stores.
Trader Joe's did not immediately respond to our queries for more information on the reported egg shortages and when the company expects its egg supplies to return to normal. In the meantime, Trader Joe's shoppers looking to snag a carton might want to call their local store to confirm whether eggs are in stock—and seek out an alternative spot to score their eggs just in case.
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